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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 8 · Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations · 24 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
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Canto 8 · Chapter 12: The Mohinī-mūrti Incarnation Bewilders Lord Śiva
8.12.148.12.16

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.12.15

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 8.12.15inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीभगवानुवाच

कौतूहलाय दैत्यानां योषिद्वेषो मया धृत: । पश्यता सुरकार्याणि गते पीयूषभाजने ॥ १५ ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

kautūhalāya daityānāṁ

yoṣid-veṣo mayā dhṛtaḥ

paśyatā sura-kāryāṇi

gate pīyūṣa-bhājane

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: When the demons took away the jug of nectar, I assumed the form of a beautiful woman to bewilder them by directly cheating them and thus to act in the interest of the demigods.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Explains His Bewildering Form

  1. 1

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead explains that the demons had taken the jug of nectar. He assumed a beautiful woman’s form to cheat and bewilder them in the interest of the demigods.

  2. 2

    The demons were captivated by Mohinī-mūrti, but the demigods were not. The purport contrasts demoniac mentality with goodness and advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

  3. 3

    Lord Śiva is not an ordinary person and is not normally agitated by feminine beauty. Lord Viṣṇu therefore considered carefully what form could enchant him.

Key points from the purport
  • When the Supreme Personality of Godhead assumed the form of the beautiful woman Mohinī-mūrti, the demons were certainly captivated, but the demigods present were not.
  • The Supreme Personality of Godhead knew that because Lord Śiva is not an ordinary person, he cannot be bewildered even by the most beautiful woman.
  • A beautiful woman generally cannot induce Lord Śiva to be lusty, but Lord Viṣṇu was considering whether there was any form of woman who could enchant him.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Danger and ambition → Divine rescue and surprise. Cooperation, rivalry and revelation alternate rapidly.

Chapters 5–12 of Canto 8: Churning the ocean, poison and nectar. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 12: The Mohinī-mūrti Incarnation Bewilders Lord Śiva

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Therefore, to fulfill the desire of His devotee Lord Śiva, He expanded His energy and manifested Himself in the form of a very beautiful and attractive woman. Upon seeing this form, even Lord Śiva was captivated.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.12
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-bhagavān uvācathe Supreme Personality of Godhead said
  2. kautūhalāyafor the bewildering
  3. daityānāmof the demons
  4. yoṣit-veṣaḥthe form of a beautiful woman
  5. mayāby Me
  6. dhṛtaḥassumed
  7. paśyatāseeing that it is necessary for Me
  8. sura-kāryāṇifor executing the interests of the demigods
  9. gatehaving been taken away
  10. pīyūṣa-bhājanethe jug of nectar
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Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does this contrast teach me about the importance of developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Practice

Spend a few minutes reading about Kṛṣṇa today rather than seeking something merely attractive to the senses.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 8.12's connections

Live this todayThe Lord Explains His Bewildering FormThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 8.12.15? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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